Greg Luvs Billy

[Greg Field]

I fired 'im up, intending to take a mile or so test drive and just see how I liked it. Before I knew it, I was 12 miles from home, in the neighborhood of the best Guzzi bar in the world (that I know of), the Buckaroo, in Seattle. As much fun as I was having, I had to stop for one. Diamond Knot IPA has a powerful draw . . .

 

Back to Billy.

 

I was totally prepared to be underwhelmed. I love my Eldo, had ridden many Sports and Billys in the past, and for God's sake, this was the first shakedown cruise of a resuscitated Ballabio that had been crashed hard and still has a bent front wheel. The plan was to take it easy, real easy, just to make sure things were OK.

 

SO, I put on all my gear, putted down the alley, and started riding gently to get the erl all warmed up. I kept ramping up the speed to see when I'd get some negative feedback from the bent front wheel. Never happened on the city streets, so I turned onto the 99 viaduct and wicked it up. 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, nothing yet, except those tailights ahead are getting awful close. Roll off and putt along between 45 and 60 north.

 

Fuel injection seems perfect, despite the added FBF crossover and Mistral titanium silencers. Shi-ite, I was led to believe that if you changed mufflers and crossover, the sumbitch wouldn't run without re-tuning. Not this one. It ran great. And the sound was great, too. With the intake still all quiet courtesy of the stock box and a new paper air filter, all I could hear was exhaust. That thing moooooooooaaaannnnnssss like a coon dog in heat when you give it full throttle at about three grand. And it barks like a hungry Doberman when you give it full throttle at five grand. I love dual personalities.

 

And it's comfortable. The bars are great. I have too many back injuries to be happy with clip-ons ever again. Better yet, the bars work perfectly with the Motobits foot controls. My feet are right under my center of mass, so I can stand and shift my weight without having to put any inputs onto the bars. I think I can ride this thing both fast and long.

 

Before I knew it, there was the turnoff for the Buckaroo. It's a tradition for me that whenever a new Guzzi model shows up at MI, I take it for a test ride and introduce it to the Buckaroo. Just then I realized that I had never taken a Billy Bob there, and to my knowledge, no one else had either. Given that, how could I not?

 

"Billy, meet the Buckaroo. Buckaroo, meet Billy," I said as I pulled up in front and parked. Then, I talked with some friends through one tastey Diamond Knot IPA and headed home through horrendous traffic. It was stop and go for ten miles, but even in that use, the fuel injection was flawless.

 

I pulled my new friend into the garage, put him on the lift, and pulled the drain plug to drain out the old oil. Then, I gave him a good once-over. No leaks. Just a faint silver sheen all over from all the anti-sieze I goobered all over everything in the last two weeks. It's the "color of love," in my world. I'm thinking it will be a long-term relationship, and someday I might even get around to washing off all that anti-sieze . . .

[soloNH]

Well that's all very nice but are you happy with the results?

 

[Steve G.]

Did somebody say IPA? You're going to have to tell me how to get to the Buckaroo Greg. Serious.

Does the VME meet there? Last time I was at a meeting was at Teddy's on Roosevelt.

Ciao, Steve G.

[Greg Field]

The VME now meets at Planet Georgetown, which is three blocks from my house. I hate having to start up a bike to ride just three blocks, so I ususally just walk there.

 

The Buck is 42nd and Fremont Ave. N, in the Fremont district.

 

Let me know the next time you will be in town . . .

[Baldini]

...I fired 'im up, intending to take a mile or so test drive....Before I knew it, I was 12 miles from home....

 

funny how they get you isn't it...

 

KB